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Department of Health Announces Free COVID-19 Testing in Warren County

10/01/2021

Harrisburg, PA - The Department of Health today announced that a free outdoor drive-up COVID-19 testing site is open for the public in Warren County. This site is available through a partnership with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare (AMI).

“The fight against COVID-19 is not over as highly contagious variants continue spreading,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. “Testing is the best way to identify and help stop the spread of the virus. We continue to work with partners across the state ensuring the consistent accessibility of COVID-19 testing.”

“We encourage anyone who feels they need or want a test, especially if they think they have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms, to take advantage of the free COVID-19 testing closest to them. This includes fully vaccinated individuals who are experiencing symptoms,” Beam continued.  

Testing is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. today through Friday, Oct. 29 at Warren State Hospital, 677 Hospital Drive, Warren, PA, 16365. Enter from North State street.  

There are also a testing site running in Centre County. Individuals can get tested Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today through Saturday, Oct. 31 at Nittany Mall, Sears Auto Center, 183 Shiloh Road, State College, PA, 16801.

In addition, Pennsylvanians can find testing sites in their area on the locator map here. Counties in need of a COVID-19 testing site should contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health to discuss the possibility of setting up a pop-up testing site.

The AMI testing sites are open to anyone who feels they need a test. It is important that even people with no symptoms who have tested positive isolate to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

If fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians experience symptoms, or come into contact with someone who has COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises getting tested 3-5 days after exposure, even if the person has no symptoms. The CDC also advises wearing a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative. If the result were to be positive, the CDC advises isolating for 10 days.

The CDC advises those who are fully vaccinated to consider wearing a mask in areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases when in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.

Up to 450 people can be tested per day. Mid-nasal passage swab PCR tests will be performed. Testing is on a first-come, first-serve basis and is completely free. No appointment is necessary. Testing is open to individuals from any county who are ages 3 and older. Individuals are not required to show symptoms of COVID-19 to be tested. Patients are encouraged to bring a photo-ID, but ID is not required to be tested. Registration will also be completed on-site. The turnaround time for testing results is one to three days after testing.

Individuals who are tested should self-quarantine while they await their test results. Individuals who live with other people should self-quarantine in a private room and use a private bathroom, if possible. Others living in the home with the individual awaiting test results should also stay at home. The department has additional instructions for individuals waiting for a COVID-19 test result. Individuals who test positive will receive a phone call from AMI while individuals who test negative will receive a secured-PDF emailed from AMI.

The department has contracted with AMI to perform pop-up COVID-19 testing in counties across the state since September 2020. The contracts were funded by the federal Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Enhancing Detection grant. Counties under the initial contract, as well as the total number of patients tested, can be found here. Counties served under the first contract extension, as well as the total number of patients tested, can be found here.

From March 2020 through Sept. 29, 2021, the department has received 17,298,301 PCR test results. From May 2020 through Sept. 29, 2021, the department has received 5,050,671 antigen test results. The total combined number of tests reported to the department is 22,348,972 since COVID-19 testing began in the commonwealth. The number of Pennsylvanians who have been tested by PCR or antigen tests is 7,389,862 which roughly equates to 57.7 percent of the Pennsylvania population. Some people have been tested more than once.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

 

The Department of Health is working to ensure the vaccine is provided in a way that is ethical, equitable and efficient to all Pennsylvanians: 

  • All Pennsylvanians age 12 and older are eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine. Use Vaccine Finder to find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you.
  • A commonwealth COVID-19 vaccination guide explains the current process for getting one. Pennsylvanians with questions about the vaccination process can call the Department of Health hotline at 1-877-724-3258.
  • Vaccine dashboard data can also be found on the website to find more information on the doses administered and showcase demographic information.
  • The Unite Against COVID Weekly Update is a round-up of news you can use and answers to your most pressing vaccine questions – delivered directly to your inbox every week.
  • Frequently asked questions can be found here.

MEDIA CONTACT: Mark O'Neill - RA-DHpressoffice@pa.gov

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